March 22 Edmonton Headlines
More LRT trains! More LRT trains!
More people living downtown means more shops and services will follow. Also, more green space.
The hours of the Cromdale liquor store have been reduced in order to try and curb alcohol-fuelled violence.
People are paying less for hotel rooms in Edmonton.
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Albertans wait longer for surgeries. Except when it comes to hip fracture repair; that’s where we shine.
Dr. Raj Sherman has a prescription for electoral reform. It does not include more cowbell. The opposition continues to seek answers on doctor intimidation too.
Alberta’s environment is in good hands. Meanwhile…in the ground…drilling is off to a big start in Alberta this year.
No, we will not have hunt farms. But the government should consider retiring bill numbers that stick in people’s minds because of previous incarnations.
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Come on, coalition government…
Students at the University of Alberta are making the switch to Gmail (officially). The same students fund a refugee program that allows one student to study at the U of A each year. And, hey, students can get their taxes done for free. (Man, I really need to get on top of my taxes…)
Speaking of the U of A (just a little bit more, anyway)…they’ve got a new, crazy 3D running machine that will help identify how injured folks can better rehab their bodies.
Don’t forget that this Thursday is Twestival. And you can help raise money for the Red Cross in Japan by eating pizza today.
Spring Headlines
Welcome to spring, Edmonton. Oh, and get ready for the snow.
Ain’t that always the way? Speaking of snow…After such a snowy winter, Southern Alberta is already preparing for spring floods.
Didja catch that supermoon on Saturday?
Alright, there’s more news in here. (more…)
March 10 Edmonton Headlines
Holy crap it’s actually not freezing outside. I didn’t see that coming. And we’re headed for temperatures on the plus-side of zero for the weekend. You better not being messing with us, Mother Nature.
Might as well start with a snow story though. X marks the spot. So don’t park on the X.
Speak Up, Edmonton is a small group, but it’s the official opposition to a City-funded downtown arena.
Speaking of speaking up…there are more chances to talk with the City of Edmonton about our various plans and schemes. Are you heeding the call?
Edmonton’s a smart city. So says IBM.
Edmonton’s lost a legendary restaurant owner, sports-supporter, and businessman.
One of the city’s “ugliest buildings” has been bought by new owners. Anyone ever stay at the The Courtyard/Thornton Court? Speaking of buying…Capital Power is buying, buying, buying!
You can find good vegetarian food in Edmonton restaurants at…
It is Thursday. So you know that means lots and lots of news. (more…)
Edmonton Lamb Headlines
Sure has been snowy. Yup. Lotta snow.
Councillor Don Iveson wants to know why Edmonton Transit doesn’t explain what’s going on to passengers when there are delays. It would be great if drivers and staff would take to loudspeakers at transit and LRT stations. It’s also a good example as to why wireless Internet on the trains and at transit stations would help; I could be forewarned about delays by other passengers (through social network tools like), or get an e-mail from ETS about any emergencies.
The assault of bus driver Tom Bregg could lead to new penalties for those who attack transit drivers.
San Diego is, again, being held up as a great example of how a downtown arena could work here in Edmonton. Ah, there are always more sides to a story, aren’t there?
Edmonton’s four largest post-secondary institutions (U of A, MacEwan, NAIT, NorQuest) have signed an agreement to help each other out in the event of a disaster or emergency at one of the schools.
There’s actually quite a bit happening over at the Alberta Legislature. (more…)
Budgetary Budgets of the Alberta Budget
(I am an SEO king.)
Alright, Edmonton, you know the drill. When it’s provincial budget storytime we go all out. Prepare for budget!
So, the long-governing Conservative party tabled its latest budget Thursday (do you think they got bored of this annual stuff some time in the mid to late 80s?). It’s a deficit budget, which means the Alberta government is spending more than it’s taking in. But, thanks to the last few billion dollars of savings, there won’t be a debt for a couple more years. If there’s not another boom by 2013…well, let’s just not think about that.
Alberta remains a glorious land of low taxes. But your user fees are going up, up, up!
Healthcare still eats up the largest portion of the budget. Education is next, with the second-largest piece of the budget pie chart, and while there’s an increase to education spending, it’s mostly to cover teacher salaries. Post-secondary schools may also start feeling the pinch.
Some environmental initiatives appear to be going nowhere, or stalling. That may end up including money hoped to help Edmonton build its new LRT lines.
Oh, and the opposition parties aren’t too impressed with the budget. Like that’s even news.
Hey, lookie here, I found stories in Edmonton that were not Alberta Budget 2011 related. (more…)
Edmonton February 10 Headlines
Good morning, Edmonton. There’s a little action on the downtown front, about LRT and arenas, the Shaw Conference Centre, so it seems renewing the core is still a big deal. Hey, Envision Edmonton’ due back in court today. Yay?
Let’s roll! (more…)
Edmonton Headlines
Let’s check the time. Yup. It’s news o’clock!
While the LRT extension to the southeast might not get built as fast as when we might have had Expo dollars to throw around, you’ve got to think the people of Mill Woods are going to be nervous they will again miss out. Hold tight, little buddies! The NAIT extension looks good though.
EPCOR didn’t deal with as many water-main breaks as usual this January. Surely this story won’t jinx us for February.
Boyle Street Services has a new outreach worker hitting the streets to tell homeless people about its services.
An Edmonton haiku contest for the Edmonton Transit Service has won us some recognition. Not the kind you want, mind you.
Sounds like the CBC has found some sketchy dealings at a school on the Enoch Cree Nation.
NAIT is asking the provincial government to let is cut seven programs.
Speaking of school…wanna buy one?
Groundhog Headlines
Sounds like most of the rodents are predicting an early spring. Which is a good thing, since I don’t know if I could handle six more weeks of winter.
Wait…Balzac Billy saw his shadow? That means we have to wait seven more weeks for spring. Damn.
Now, let’s spend all day watching clips of the Bill Murray movie on YouTube. Do you think Josh Classen will get stuck reliving the same day in Balzac?
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Alberta Liberal leader David Swann is not going to lead the party into the next election. He’ll be stepping down as leader (but sticking around as an MLA) after the spring session. Conservative leader, and Premier, Ed Stelmach is also stepping down. Finance Minister Ted Morton stepped away from that portfolio to run for Stelmach’s job. Any other PC cabinet minister looking to become premier will also, likely, step down from their portfolio. Basically, by the time the spring session wraps up we’ll have a B-team leading the government and official opposition.
Oh, and don’t worry, NDP leader Brian Mason used Swann’s news conference to reassure everyone he’s not going anywhere. This actually leaves him as the only party leader currently in the legislature that says he’ll be running in the next election.
A new panel that’s supposed to look at ways to environmentally monitor the oilsands hit a bump when one member withdrew. Among her complaints: not enough scientists on the panel, too much secrecy.
In Edmonton… (more…)
Snow-buried Headlines

We asked for basement apartment pictures of all our snow. Liam will have more to report if he ever digs out.
Good morning, Edmonton. The top story today puts Edmonton into international news coverage.
A suicide bombing in Iraq has reached to Edmonton. Investigations have led police and the FBI to an Edmonton man with alleged connections to the group behind the bombing.
Now, news from our city that won’t be read in New York or London… (more…)
1/11/11 Headlines
That weekend snow storm has people complaining, including the police union which still wants snow tires. Some school buses are also canceled for the week.
The federal Conservatives were announcing money to make more room at Edmonton’s prison, among others across the country. But do we need bigger prisons?
The Edmonton Police Service is charging one of their officers with theft.
The University of Alberta’s got an interesting story about grades right now. A professor has been asked to resign after his department lowered students’ marks.
Still at the university, The Gateway’s looking at LRT expansion.
There’s an advisory in Edmonton about a strain of meningitis.
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Nearly six year later, an inquiry into the shooting deaths of four RCMP officers, near Mayerthorpe, is underway. The inquiry began with information on how many times the Mounties were shot, and what happened to lead the officers to the farm where they would be killed.
The Northland School Division is getting a decade to clean up its act and improve student performance.
The provincial Conservatives aren’t ready to go back to the Legislature just yet.
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A University of Alberta paleontology researcher has identified a new flying reptile that roamed before man. Dragons!
And a St. Albert pet store is not going to sell cats and dogs anymore. They’re going to adopt them out.
January 5 Edmonton Headlines
Hi there, Edmonton.
Sure, it’s early January, but the City of Edmonton is already getting things set for the spring construction season, including work in neighbourhoods that are crumbling. That’s right, while you’re busy scraping your car I want you to think about sitting in your vehicle in construction delays.
The City of Edmonton says your house, well, probably your house, is worth more.
The Edmonton Sun says if you don’t like the idea of public money being spent on a downtown arena you better speak up. The next few months are probably going to be the most crucial in the debate.
Seems like people coming from the north side don’t like to pay for LRT parking as much as those in the south.
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An Edmonton-area teen that speared another hockey player has been convicted of a crime for the on-ice attack.
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Six Edmonton food blogs are up for new food blog awards.
South Edmonton Common is the latest place to get an app that will guide you through its maze. Although, being heavily car-friendly, doesn’t this mean people will be apping and driving?
Oh, and Edmonton is going to host an official snowball fight. And that’s pretty cool.
2010 Headlines (That’s news from this year, not more than 2,000 headlines.)
I’m hopping on that end-of-the-year story train. Above you can see a Wordle of our most-used tags. Ignoring the people noted (like me and Sally, Gregg Beever, Mack D. Male, etc…), and a few events venues, we can get a sense of what the heck we talked about the most.
And, for a change, it’s not just about ourselves.
Read on! (more…)
Cold (damn cold) Headlines
G-g-g-ood m-morning, Edmonton. BRR!
In the last few days I have come to the conclusion I need to buy more pairs of long johns. I am especially in need of one of those full-body sets.
We’ll be taking a few days off during the holidays. I bet you will be too (if you haven’t already). You know who won’t? Emergency responders, like police officers, fire fighters, and paramedics.
If you’re a last-minute shopper you may want to consider a greener vehicle. You may find yourself with quicker access to the mall.
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Not sure if I linked to it already, but the City’s got a video showing us what the LRT line from Churchill Station to NAIT will look like. And I think it looks just fabulous.
User fees, including bus passes and rec passes, will be going up in the new year.
Mack’s been talking about community revitalization levies. He’s looked at how they work, where they are in Alberta, and he’s now got a look at how it might apply to a new downtown arena.
EPCOR sold off a little more of Capital Power, leaving it with 60% of the common shares.
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Here’s a case where rules should probably be bent or broken. People should be allowed to help their loved one.
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Alberta’s oilsands have made the Wikileaks! Former federal environment minister Jim Prentice was caught off-guard by everyone hating on the dirty oil. He was even considering stepping in if the oil companies and provincial government didn’t toughen up environmental rules (not sure what happened to that). Meanwhile…up in the oilsands….Suncor is pleading guilty to dumping toxic substances into a river full of fish…
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The federal government is putting $30-million into a capital region plan for a river valley trail system.
CBC’s got a story on people worried about a local publishing group. That’s a lot of Better Business Bureau complaints.
You can breastfeed near the art at the Art Gallery of Alberta now.
Snowmonton Headlines
Good morning to you, Edmonton.
Have you already dug out your driveway and sidewalk? It sounds like the main streets are in pretty good shape already. Side streets (the ones most of us live on) will probably take longer to clear after our snowstorm.
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m digging this snow. I was even checking out snowshoe rental options. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a couple of winters. Any snowshoe spots in the city I should think about hitting?
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Over at his blog, Mack’s been going over the CRL. The Community Revitalization Levy is a tax the city may use on a downtown arena district. Mack’s got a good, straightforward look at just what a CRL is, where it came from, where it’s being used in Alberta (just Edmonton and Calgary), and he will finish up with how it might play into a new arena.
Speaking of that arena…over at SEE, Maurice Tougas seems to be falling in with my idea that neither the Katz Group nor Northlands looks like the best option for a new arena, because nobody appears to have anything but their own interests at heart.
SEE’s also talking about the LRT expansion, including looking at proposed downtown stations. (The boys over at The Charrette have also been looking at LRT. Man, I love that new blog.)
Back to the arena, Mayor Mandel thinks a decision will be made in the spring.
On a somewhat related note, the new EPCOR office tower is soon to open and will increase the vacancies in other downtown buildings. That’s somewhat related because the Katz Group’s arena proposal includes more office space. That’s part of where Daryl Katz wants to put half of his $200-million. It’s just interesting to think about if that much office space will be needed in the downtown this quickly.
Let’s see what else is going on… (more…)
Snowstorm Headlines
I am totally digging this snow today. I don’t know if I’m pining for the snow squalls of my youth, just want a little snow to add to that holiday feel, or feel that I need more winter to compete with the tales of snowbound adventure that will be coming from people I know in southwestern Ontario.
But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk about snow (wait…did you?), no, you came for a look at what’s going on.
If a blitz of unannounced (and then follow-up) safety inspections is any example, then Alberta construction sites aren’t safe. 70 worksites were inspected, and with more than 210 violations that’s basically three for each site. More than half of the sites got stop work orders at some point.
There’s a new report on the oilsands coming out today. While it’s going to say the impact on health may not be as bad as we all thought, it is not all good news for provincial government, federal government, or oil industry. It especially takes shots at Alberta’s environmental reviews.
“These assessments would not satisfy the requirements of the World Bank for funding international development projects,” it says, pointing out that community health measures for the Fort McMurray area are lower than both the Alberta average and those for other rural areas.
Back here in Edmonton… (more…)
City Budget Headlines
It’s budget day in Edmonton!
OK, so technically yesterday would be budget day, since that’s when your city council passed the 2011 budget, but today is the day we all get to talk about it. And complain about our 3.85% tax increase.
Atcually, that’s fairly reasonable. Depending on who you talk to. (Councillors Kerry Diotte and Linda Sloan voted against the budget. That doesn’t mean they’re anarchists who don’t believe in planning or finances. No, Diotte wanted to cut more, while Sloan felt too much was cut. Which probably means the porridge budget is just right.) The final tax increase will be known once the Alberta government figures out the education portion of your tax bill in the spring.
The southeast LRT line seems to be moving ahead just fine. Though that west line is not quite ready yet. And by “not quite ready” I mean people be hatin’. More on that in January. More on the proposed lines, right now, from The Charrette.
Now that the budget is done, councillors can relax with a quiet presentation on arenas from Northlands.
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Wooly Headlines
Hey there, Edmonton, how’s your feng shui today?

After spending countless nights camped out in the Wooly Bully's natural habitat, the Whyte Avenue bar scene, Sally finally snapped a photo of this amazing, yet elusive, creature.
City Council had a full day of LRT, Wednesday, with lots of people complaining about a lack of consultation, how they didn’t like the routes, and other stuff that is ruining their lives. Some people, YIMBYs if you will, wanted the LRT to get moving, right through their neighbourhood even. They are, as always it seems, in the minority.
Should a public-private partnership (P3) be considered for expansion of the LRT?
We got our quarterly update on the City Centre Airport, including some information on potential revenue and development profit, and environmental impact.
The City budget should be finalized today. Then we can all whine about our tax increase.
Away from the pyramid… (more…)
Edmonton’s December 7 Headlines
Good morning, Edmonton!
For nearly two years, people have been fighting to keep the Scona Pool open. It’s now back in the regular budget (the last two years it was only in for a year of funding at a time). This is a testament to neighbours telling City Hall they want a resource, then showing what could be done with it. People brought in new management, booked that pool up, and started renovating. Good for everyone involved in the Scona Pool!
Tomorrow’s the big day for the LRT expansion. City Council should be giving all the new plans approval. Riverdalians were being reassured by city staff that the train won’t disrupt their neighbourhood. Neighbourhood renewal may be scaled back just a touch as the 2011 budget is finalized. We should now exactly how everything shakes out by the end of today.
Shifting away from City Hall… (more…)
Chilly Monday Headlines
It’s a good thing Colin invented the Long John Index. Otherwise we’d be even colder this morning.
I bet the Alberta Progressive Conservatives feel a chill this morning. In fact, it’s probably a chill they can’t shake.
A new poll from the Calgary Herald has those governing Tories neck and neck with the Wildrose Alliance, in the minds of decided voters. There was also that big healthcare rally on Saturday at the Alberta Legislature. It’s never good when hundreds of people are rallying for better decisions than your government can make.
Graham Thomson doesn’t think the Tories can win against “folk hero” Dr. Raj Sherman. They’ll take the quieter days outside of the Legislature now. Essentially, the Tory government would rather ride out political storms than work tirelessly to fix them.
Maybe when they do get back to legislating, they can work on some workplace safety laws and protections for farmers. So Alberta can, you know, catch up to every other province in the country.
Last week, former education minister David King began a petition to have the provincial government stop funding separate schools. Over at the Sun, Andrew Hanon compares the two kinds of schools and finds, yeah, it might be time to go with one public system.
We’ve got a baby boom putting pressure on beds in obstetrics departments.
Liberal MLA Kevin Taft is still fighting the good fight over irregularities and other nasties in the last provincial election.
It’s going to be a busy week at Edmonton City Hall… (more…)





















